Ms Wayman said the service’s board would appoint an independent person to “better understand and address the concerns raised” by Dispatches.

“We feel very strongly that the concerns voiced in the programme do not give a fair impression of the Financial Ombudsman Service when seen against the overall breadth and context of our work,” she said.

The service has faced a huge workload in recent years following the payment protection insurance (PPI) scandal.

Since 2010, when the service began handling large numbers of PPI complaints, Ms Wayman said it had found against banks in about two-thirds of cases.

How to make a PPI claim

Image copyrightGetty Images

More information on PPI and how you can claim is available on the FCA website.

A free phone line, managed by the FCA, can be called on 0800 101 8800.

Responding to a question from Ms Morgan about whether the ombudsman could reopen past cases, the chief ombudsman said it could only do so if “material new evidence subsequently becomes available” that was likely to affect the outcome.

“And as a public body, our decision-making is of course subject to judicial review – which means our decisions come under scrutiny by the courts.”

The ombudsman makes decisions on disputes between customers and financial firms that they cannot resolve themselves.

Last year it dealt with enquiries from more than two million people about bank accounts, credit cards, insurance, loans and pensions.

Related Articles

[ad_1] Image copyright AFP American Airlines and China’s biggest carrier by passengers, China Southern, have agreed a strategic partnership. The US airline will buy $200m (£159m) worth of shares in the Chinese firm and the two will “seek to increase cooperation”. China Southern is the latest of China’s top airlines to bring in an investor […]

[ad_1] Image copyright Reuters Finance ministers from world’s biggest economies have dropped an anti-protectionist commitment after opposition from the US. G20 ministers left the two-day meeting without renewing their long-standing pledge to bolster free trade. Last year, the group of the world’s 20 largest economies vowed to “resist all forms of protectionism”. But since then, […]

[ad_1] Image copyright Getty Images London’s main share index gained ground on Thursday led by retailer Next, as investors reacted to its results. The FTSE 100 index ended the day 15.99 points or 0.22% ahead at 7,340.71. Next shares jumped by 8% despite the retailer reporting its first fall in annual profits for eight years, […]